Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Trump is sick
28 million people in the United States are too poor to receive medical treatment. Yet clueless President attacks our wonderful NHS...
IN Donald Trump’s America, 28 million citizens face going without healthcare because they cannot afford medical insurance.
But yesterday the President had the gall to attack our health service, claiming 60,000 protesters took to the streets of London at the weekend because the NHS is “going broke and not working”.
He clearly missed the point, as they were speaking out against Tory underfunding and creeping privatisation.
Professor Helen Stokes-lampard, head of the Royal College of GPS, said yesterday: “Nobody was marching in protest against the NHS.
“If people are marching, it is because they value and want to protect the founding principles of our health service that delivers care, free at the point of need to anyone who needs it.”
Trump vented his views on Twitter after ally and EX-UKIP leader Nigel Farage appeared on his favourite TV show, Fox News’ Fox and Friends, to discuss Britain’s health service.
The President took it as an opportunity to attack political rivals for wanting an Nhs-style system.
Trump tweeted:
“The Democrats are pushing for Universal Healthcare while thousands of people are marching in the UK because their U system is going broke and not working.
“Dems want to greatly raise taxes for really bad and non-personal medical care. No thanks!”
It risked starting yet another diplomatic row after Trump previously claimed the UK is riddled with terrorists.
Beleaguered Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt hit back by writing: “I may disagree with claims made on that march but not one of them wants.. a system where 28m people have no cover.”
He continued: “NHS may have challenges but I’m proud to be from the country that invented universal coverage - where all get care no matter the size of their bank balance.”
Theresa May’s spokesman added: “The Prime Minister is proud of having an NHS free at the point of delivery.
“NHS funding is at a record high and was prioritised in the Budget with an extra £2.8billion.” Trump’s friend Piers Morgan also turned on him, writing: “Wrong, Mr President. Our NHS is a wonderful, albeit imperfect, health system - and the envy of the world.
“The US healthcare system is a sick joke & the envy of no-one.”
Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth also blasted Trump, telling MPS: “We’ll take no lessons from Donald Trump, who wants to deny healthcare to millions with a system that checks your purse before it checks your pulse.”
The President’s attack came as he attempts to overturn Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.
The act improved access to health insurance and reduced the number of citizens without cover from 48.6 million people in 2010 to 28.1 million last year.
If Trump gets his way, experts fear a further 13 million people will lose cover by 2027, with premiums rising by 10%.
Anyone without health insurance in the US is guaranteed free treatment in an emergency room but, once stable, they face crippling medical bills.
Last year America came bottom of the world’s 11 most developed nations when ranked on healthcare. The Commonwealth Fund, a private US foundation, put the UK at number one.